Unfixable tech problem?

[tofor_4938]

For the past two months, I've been trying to buy various vintage rifle parts. Each time I go to pay, I get an error message blocking my purchase stating I'm trying to buy military parts internationally. The sellers are in the US. I am in Indiana. My billing shows Indiana. All info on my profile shows Indiana. All items are shipped to my house in Indiana.  The problem is, for some unknow reason ebay says my IP shows I live in Canada. I've gone to my ISP, they say I show Indiana. If I google search where am I by listing my IP number, the results come back showing I live in Indiana. I've called ebay help and spoken with 5 different agents. ALL say they are forwarding my issue to their "tech team" and will get back to me "in 24 - 48" hours. Never happens. I've been given a ticket number. It still shows open and not resolved.  I can buy any other item and it gets shipped to my home and is charged to my Indiana residence.  Ebay's help desk is a waste of time. Any suggestions?

[krazzykats]

Maybe try another location?  Starbucks or library nearby or?  That would prove out the ip theory at least.

[bonanza125]

There is a chance that your IP shows Canada intentionally because your state might have ban rifle part sales. So that is a way of blocking you from buying the parts. 

[mudshark61369]

@tofor_4938,

"I've called ebay help and spoken with 5 different agents. ALL say they are forwarding my issue to their "tech team" and will get back to me "in 24 - 48" hours. Never happens".

 Nothing happens because there is no direct phone number to call ebay customer support. The only way to speak to them is to scroll to the bottom of an ebay page, and click on the Contact us button under the Help & Contact header, fill in some info and request a call back. Even then most ebay reps will not be able to help you with tech issues.  Those reps work for a 3rd party Call/Chat center contracted by ebay.

 You may have better luck if you try contacting ebay through their social media sites (links below) the reps who are on them are actual ebay employees who may be able to help, or can direct the issue to someone who can.

https://www.facebook.com/eBay/

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

https://x.com/askebay

If you looked up the customer service phone number you have called, online,  You may have been connected to scammers who will use your info to hijack your account and use it for scams. You may want to consider changing your password, if you gave any of your ebay info to the people you have spoken to.

[tofor_4938]

I've already gone through the "contact us" routine and had ebay's genius support agents call me back..., 5 times. And yes, I quickly realized those people are NOT ebay employees. They tell me anything to get me off the phone and always promise to call me back. Never happens. Thanks for the additional ideas about the social media sites. I'll give that a whirl

[tofor_4938]

No, not hardly. Indiana probably has some of the most lenient firearm laws in the country and certainly does not ban rifle part sales. I've built several ARs and have purchased hundreds of firearms parts, some even on ebay depending on how the seller lists them, and have had zero issues from purchasing them. No, this is purely ebay's genius "tech team" showing my IP being in Canada. EVERY online "where am I" site that tracks IP addresses shows me to be in South Bend Indiana. 

[tofor_4938]

Done that. But I am not about to travel to the library every time I want to purchase a part on ebay.

[eburtonlab]

But I am not about to travel to the library every time I want to purchase a part on ebay.

Can you pay using the eBay app? If that does not work because of your WiFi connection, can you pay using the eBay app if you are not connected to your WiFi?

[gosimus]

@tofor_4938 

< I am in Indiana >    

Do you use a Virtual Private Network?  One of the things a VPN does is to conceal your actual location by routing your signal to one or several remote IPA's.  Maybe one of them is in Canada.      

[tofor_4938]

I'm not buying off of an app. I'm buying off of my desktop PC

[tofor_4938]

Nope. That's the same question all 5 of the ebay agents asked. I use MS Edge 90+% of the time. I also tried Chrome. Same results.

[tofor_4938]

No, not hardly. Indiana probably has some of the most lenient firearm laws in the country and certainly does not ban rifle part sales. I've built several ARs and have purchased hundreds of firearms parts, some even on ebay depending on how the seller lists them, and have had zero issues from purchasing them. No, this is purely ebay's genius "tech team" showing my IP being in Canada. EVERY online "where am I" site that tracks IP addresses shows me to be in South Bend Indiana.

[eburtonlab]

I'm not buying off of an app. I'm buying off of my desktop PC

I am suggesting that the issue you are experiencing may be tied to your network -- or the apparent location your network is providing. It is not clear that this is the issue, but it may be.

Completing your purchase using the eBay app while not connected to your WiFi network may be an alternative that does not require you to change network providers or to go to the library.

If you run into the same problem using the eBay app, that might indicate the problem is not related to your network connection, but to your eBay account or to your actual physical location.

[tofor_4938]

This is what my IP location shows

IP Location via IP2Location(PRODUCT: DB, October 16 2024)

 IP: 184.164.36.24

 COUNTRY: United States of America

 COUNTRY ISO: US

 STATE: Indiana

 CITY: DeMotte

 POSTAL CODE: 46310

 LATITUDE: 41.1950

 LONGITUDE: -87.1986

 ORGANIZATION: Surf Air Wireless LLC

 ISP: Surf Air Wireless LLC

[tofor_4938]

No, I tried that. Still can't buy even if not connected to WiFi. Other thoughts?